Whether playing 1st or 3rd, Bohm still mashes

PHILADELPHIA -- Alec Bohm is the Phillies' third baseman ... except when he's their first baseman.

As it turns out, the latter may be the case more often than not in the coming weeks. But regardless of which corner of the infield Bohm lines up on, one thing has remained consistent this season: the way he's hitting the ball at the plate.

Playing first base for a second straight day on Sunday afternoon, Bohm teed off for a two-run homer in a 6-4 loss to the Reds -- one in which Cincinnati flipped the script from Saturday's walk-off with a three-run ninth-inning comeback of its own -- at Citizens Bank Park.

Though Craig Kimbrel (one run allowed in the eighth) and Seranthony Domínguez (three in the ninth) couldn’t hold the lead, Bohm’s latest big hit staked Philadelphia to a 4-2 edge in the fourth.

Bohm is off to a torrid start, slashing .313/.389/.563 (.952 OPS) through nine games -- and those numbers could be even better. Three of his four hardest-hit balls have turned into outs: a 106.9 mph lineout in Friday's win over the Reds, a 106.8 mph lineout against the Yankees and a 104.9 mph double play vs. the Rangers. Bohm also made the final out Sunday on a 100.2 mph flyout to the warning track.

Of the 24 balls Bohm has put in play, 15 have registered as hard-hit balls (95 mph exit velocity or higher, according to Statcast). That hard-hit rate of 62.5% is up from 43.0% last year -- and well above his career high of 49.5% in 2021.

“Small sample size -- hit some balls hard, hit some balls not hard,” Bohm said. “That’s just baseball.”

As for where he lines up on the other side of the ball, Bohm is ready for wherever manager Rob Thomson pencils his name.

“I don't care,” Bohm said of playing first or third. “We're trying to put the best team on the field every day.”

As it turns out, where Bohm lines up has little to do with how well he's swinging the bat -- and everything to do with how well Edmundo Sosa is swinging the bat.

Though Thomson said that Kody Clemens would get the majority of first-base reps against right-handed pitchers following Darick Hall's injury, the Phillies skipper pivoted on Sunday to using Bohm at first and Sosa at third against Reds righty Connor Overton.

That change came after Sosa delivered a pinch-hit home run in Friday's victory, then went 1-for-3 with a game-tying sacrifice fly in Saturday's win. He continued to produce in his first start against a righty this season, grounding an RBI single to left field in the second inning.

"This doesn't mean he's going to play every, every day," Thomson said. "But we're going to see what he's going to do against right-handed pitching."

Sosa hasn't been much of a platoon player during his limited time in the Majors. He took over the Cardinals' everyday shortstop job in mid-May in 2021, but he was supplanted as the starter last season before being traded to the Phillies at the ‘22 Trade Deadline.

And while Sosa was used evenly against righties and lefties last season, his OPS against southpaws (.715 in 88 plate appearances) was significantly higher than his OPS vs. right-handers (.583 in 102 PAs).

Still, Thomson is confident that Sosa can be an everyday starter on a championship-caliber club.

"He's that talented. We'll see, because we're going to get him some more playing time," Thomson said. "But he's really a talented guy. His offense is improving -- he's not chasing as much, he's staying on breaking balls, he's stronger than he was last year. Great kid. Great teammate. I really love him."

Offense aside, Sosa has proven he's an above-average defender just about anywhere on the infield -- except first base, which he's never played professionally. In his short time with the Phillies last season, he recorded four Outs Above Average at third base and three OAA at shortstop.

His defensive talents were on full display in the eighth inning on Sunday, when he ranged toward the line to field a Tyler Stephenson grounder. Though the ball kicked up off his glove, Sosa lunged out to barehand it before firing a throw from foul territory to record the out -- finished off by a nice stretch from Bohm.

Is that the corner-infield combo Phillies fans can expect to see moving forward?

“We’ll see,” Thomson said. “I’ll talk to [hitting coach] Kevin [Long], and take it in the lab and see what we come up with.”